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------------------- 1860 - Discoveries are coming fast in astronomy.
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- Astronomers have many questions that need answering. It is a never ending job going back to the beginning and out to the end of time.
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- What happens to gravity when matter converts to energy?
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- Nothing? Matter and energy are two forms of the same thing. Matter is concentrated energy according to E=mc^2.
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- Is the whole Universe spinning? Could it be centripetal force that is expanding the Universe? Could this spinning explain Dark Energy? Of course if it is spinning it must have a center? If it is space expanding everywhere there is no center? A contradiction?
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- There are 10^78 atoms in the Universe.
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- There are 10^27 atoms in your body.
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- The Universe only has 10^50 more atoms to make everything else.
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- It all has to start somewhere. Let’s start in our own neighborhood and work outward from there to study the remaining 10^50 atoms.
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- Our sister planet Mars has had a “ Reconnaissance Orbiter” that has completed 45,000 orbits taking more than 200,000 pictures.
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- In addition to the orbiter the “Spirit”, “Opportunity”, and “Curiosity” rovers have been exploring the surface of the planet.
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- Here are a few of the discoveries:
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- Dark streaks indicate some form of flowing water. In fact, salty liquid water may still flow on the surface of Mars.
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- The surface and terrain have been mapped out for possible landing targets for a human mission to Mars.
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- A fresh crater was discovered in 2010 that was not there in 2008.
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- A super volcano may lurk below a very old crater in Mar’s surface.
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- In 2012 pictures of a 12-mile-high dust devil swirling from the surface.
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- Photos also show fields of sand dunes which change shape with the winds.
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- In August 2015 a photo caught an avalanche of frost falling off a ridge.
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- The orbiter also turned its cameras on the Mar’s moons, “ Phobos” and “ Deimos” to identify their reason for the strange color and odd shapes.
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- In 2014 photos spotted a oddly shaped boulder rolling down a slope.
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- Photos were taken of gullies of frost on the Martian plains carving the surface.
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- On another spacecraft, “ Dawn” has been collecting data on the once planet “ Ceres” for over a year. Ceres was thought to be a planet until astronomers decided it was the largest asteroid in the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter. Then when orbiting objects beyond Pluto were discovered astronomers decided to introduce a whole new classification, “Dwarf Planets”. Ceres is now a dwarf planet.
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- Launched between September, 2007, the Dawn mission first visited the asteroid “ Vesta”. After a close study Dawn propelled itself to Ceres using its zenon-fueled ion engine. Electric power is provided by twin solar arrays that have a 65 foot wing span.
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- The Dawn spacecraft arrived January 2015 after a 3,100,000,000 mile journey. The first images found unusual bright spots marking the surface of Ceres In March Dawn achieved orbit around Ceres 8,400 miles altitude.
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- Dawn spiraled in to lower altitudes to map the entire surface. 25% of it is water-ice. (This is similar to Saturn’s moons Dione and Tethys.). The bright spots are magnesium sulfate deposits probably sublimated from a layer of briny water-ice.
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- Other surface areas were ammonia rich clays. Dawn’s descending orbits eventually reached 235 miles altitude. The camera’s resolution was 120 feet per pixel. They found a mountain peak that was 3 miles high.
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- Dawn runs out of its hydrazine fuel which allows the orientation of the spacecraft to be set for cameras, antenna pointing towards Earth, solar panels pointing towards the Sun. The derelict Dawn will orbit another 50 years before crashing into the surface.
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- Request these Reviews to learn more about Vesta:
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- #1618 - The Dawn spacecraft visiting Vesta asteroid.
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- #1572 - Visit the 2nd largest asteroid in the Solar System. Vesta is 360 miles in diameter. It takes 3.63 years to orbit the Sun.
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- Request these Reviews to learn more about Mars:
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- #1796 - Mars after 20 successful missions. Over 40 missions have been launched.
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- #1779 - Trip to Mars. How to survive?
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- Plus 5 more reviews from #1777 to #24, which was written in 2003.
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- Request these Reviews to learn more about Ceres:
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- #1784 - What was the 5th planet to be discovered, in 1801? It is 590 miles in diameter.
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- #1618 - It is 4% the mass of the moon and orbit’s the Sun in 4.6 years.
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- $847 - Ceres shares its orbit with 1 million asteroids all over 0.6 miles diameter. There are 3 other asteroids over 250 miles in diameter.
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---- Comments appreciated and Pass it on to whomever is interested. ----
--- Some reviews are at: -------------- http://jdetrick.blogspot.com -----
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- to: ------- jamesdetrick@comcast.net ------ “Jim Detrick” -----------
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----- 707-536-3272 ---------------- Tuesday, April 19, 2016 -----
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